Israeli Forest Trail Closed Before Deadly Hezbollah Cluster Bomb Explosion

The incident occurred during an outing for students from Orot Ma'alot High School, also referred to as ORT Ma'alot, near Moshav Park and the Mizpe Pe'er observation point. Initial investigations suggest a student found the unexploded munition, placed it in his bag, and it detonated later. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the injured teenagers at Rambam Hospital, urging citizens to follow safety directives and avoid touching suspicious objects.

The IDF believes the munition was a cluster bomb fired by the terrorist organization Hezbollah during the recent conflict. Following the tragedy, the Israeli police sharply criticized the IDF, demanding they take responsibility for locating and removing unexploded ordnance in areas under their control.

The Ministry of Education and police confirmed the trip had received all necessary security approvals and permits. However, the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) had previously posted signs in Hebrew, Arabic, and English prohibiting entry to the trail due to war damage. Authorities are investigating how the students accessed the restricted route, and police have temporarily restricted access to the site.